We have developed a method to harvest inflammatory cells from vaccination sites in the skin of rhesus monkeys. Flow cytometry is used to characterize lymphocyte subsets elicited by vaccination with live and killed BCG. Identification of specific subsets that amplify early in the inflammatory response could be important for protection against TB. We have identified an increase in CD8+CD38+CD45RO+ cells in primary and secondary vaccination sites and an increase in CD4+CD38+CD45RO+ in the secondary (but not primary) response. CD38+ calls are not selected in this system without BCG vaccination. It appears that CD38+ expression on circulating T cells may be associated with opportunistic infections.